Life Without a Spleen

It’s been more than three months since my spleen was removed, and I’m finally feeling almost healthy again. Now that I have more energy, I wanted to share a bit more about my surgical experiences, as I had the unique opportunity to have laparoscopic surgery performed on me twice in six months. It’s given me an interesting basis of comparison between surgeons, hospitals and procedures.

After my first laparoscopic surgery, which removed a large portion of my splenic cyst without damaging the spleen, (I wrote about in detail here), I was in the hospital for 48 hours. For the first few days, I had difficulty walking because of the abdominal pain, largely caused by residual gas the surgeon inserted into my belly cavity to gain space around the organs, a common procedure in laparoscopic surgery. I felt very faint and dizzy while in the hospital, and I had severe nausea caused by pain medications. But those issues resolved within the first week, and after about 10 days, I was making short trips out of the house. Within a month, I had traveled to Europe to spend the summer there. While my first few weeks in Europe involved a lot of slow strolls and naps, I progressed quickly.

My second laparoscopic surgery was far more significant than the first because my spleen was removed. Interestingly, however, my time in the hospital was much shorter — less than 24 hours! I had the second surgery done at a different hospital than the first, with a different surgeon, and I believe my second surgeon’s technique drastically reduced the immediate pain I experienced. (She told me she made a concerted effort to remove the gas inserted into my abdomen.) I was able to walk within hours of coming out of surgery without faint-inducing pain. That said, I still needed serious pain killers, and those, although different than my first round, made me incredibly sick, too. I spent a lot of time with my head over a wastebasket my first few days at home.

At first, I felt my recovery was much faster after my second surgery than the first. Perhaps, though, my knowledge of the experience from the first surgery helped prepare me more realistically for the second. I also was proactive, stocking up on juices and making bland vegetable soups I’d learned I’d want during my recovery. (My appetite was drastically altered and reduced after both surgeries for more than a week.)

Although I was able to walk and sit up more quickly after my second surgery, my energy levels were incredibly low. It felt like I spent weeks in bed or reading on the couch. I found it incredibly frustrating. But this makes sense — I no longer had a spleen and my body was working hard to reorient itself to life without it.

I’d estimate it took nearly three months for me to return to normal energy levels. Each week, I tried to do a bit more, walking every day and adding a block or two to my total distance. Around two months post-surgery, I began physical therapy to start to rebuild my core muscles on my left side. I confess I fought back a few tears during my first session when I discovered just how weak I was and how little I could do. But, it was a start.

Since I’ve begun increasing my activity level, I’ve felt a corresponding increase in aches and pains deep within my left side. My doctor says this is normal, and I’ve been told to expect this kind of pain off and on for up to a year. “Motrin is your friend,” I was jokingly told.

I’m continuing to push myself to improve my fitness. Yesterday, for the first time in nearly a year, I went for a run. My pace was incredibly slow, and I alternated a few short walk breaks into the mix, but I completed 30 minutes. It felt like an amazing accomplishment.